Author: Jonathan Eig
Caption: ‘A life’
Genre: Biography / Sports & Games / Nonfiction / History / Biography Memoir
Year of Publishing: 2017
Summary:
1. Mohammed ALI – Embodiment of 1960s United States’ social climate (upheaval over civil rights movement, protest against Vietnam war)
2. Family background of Cassius Marcellus Clay (who later became The Mohammed Ali)
3. Stubborn kid with relatively pleasant upbringing.
4. How boy Cassius lost his bicycle and that landed him to the world of boxing.
5. 1960 Rome Olympics & Cassius becomes The Gold Medalist
6. The boxer turns to Nation of Islam to confront social & political issues.
7. Muhammed Ali’s rebellion against the military establishments, that resulted his suspension from boxing ring.
8. Dissidence against his religious leader.
9. ‘The Fight of The Century’ & Ali’s first professional loss.
10. ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ – Ali becomes the regains his boxing crown!
11. From BOXER to ENTERTAINER to INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT, a man with many hats
Review:
A black boy’s odyssey from rather a humble, ordinary background to the crown of world class boxing, that’s what Muhammed Ali’s life, and the book, ‘ALI-A Life’ all about.
United States of America in 1960s was more of a divided community with civil right movements and protests against a loosing Vietnam war. The legendary boxer Muhammed ALI has reflected the mood though his life quite brilliantly by standing tall against ‘the masters’ at the same time cruising though his passion in what he enjoyed doing the best, the boxing.
As with any legendary soul, initial days and forefathers of the little stubborn boy was not that promising, or even, his grandfather used to be a slave in the times of Abraham Lincoln, before slavery abolishment. It was the efforts and optimism of his grandpa and parents that kept little Cassius floating and to have a dream fulfilled through his bicycle, which he anyways lost in a storm. The anger of loosing his beloved bicycle landed him in boxing ring. He left the ring only after his saga scripted in golden letters of boxing history. Later as a entertainer, international diplomat, above all, as glowing man of values, Muhammed Ali just lived a divine life of originality and courage, which many of of us can only dream!
The book is an inspiration, blood-pumper and thunderbolt for any soul who like to get to the next level of their life.
Jonathan Eig made the book very special through references and inside story he took from the closest circles of Muhammed Ali (before converting to Islam, name was Cassius Marcellus Clay).
My rating: 4.75/5
Published in PatlaMujeeb.Wordpress.com (April 27, 2018)
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